Cursed
by xxcrowysnextmatexx
Summary: Only Rainwhisker notices the horror surrounding him and his pure-blooded family. There is something trying to destroy his family line, and he is willing to go all the way to the sun-drown place and back to find out why there is a curse upon his family.
1. Prologue

**(Willowpelt's perspective)**

_No, no, no..._

Swift paws pounded through the undergrowth as it carried the pale gray she-cat through the forest, resounding like an ominous heartbeat through the muffled trees.

_Not fast enough... should have realized..._

She was foolish to think they wouldn't come for her someday; but to hunt down her son like a piece of over-fed prey? To attempt to crush out the life of her dear, precious Sootpaw?

_They _can't_ be after him..._

Still, now the sounds of the vicious, grating snarls of a badger were evident to her sensitive feline ears, and she knew her nightmare was coming to life.

Then she saw it; the black and white pointed muzzle of the creature, the huge, muscled monster, rearing up with his heavy paws poised in mid-air. It's black beady eyes sought out it's prey below eagerly, prepared to strike...

Sootpaw lay in the devil's shadow, his pale green eyes staring up in shocked horror. Others were there; the flickering shapes of pelts edged the nightmarish scene, but these were of no consequence to the queen.

The sight of her son's eminent doom sent the she-cat into a frenzy. She bunched her legs and sprang forward, only one thought in her mind; to get between that monster and her son.

Willowpelt was vividly conscious of the feel of dry grass beneath her as she landed, and the touch of her son's neatly groomed fur scorched it's memory into her mind as she pushed him away with her muzzle, using more strength then StarClan could have mustered. They were the last peaceful feelings she experienced.

The crushing badger's paws snapped into her spine a heartbeat later, all the doom of her son landing on her shoulders. She shrieked out in agony as fire filled her veins, drowning out all sights, scents, and sounds.

_I saved him..._ the perfect clarity of this thought filled her pain-entrenched mind with a moment of sweet bliss.

_But for how long?_

* * *

**A few moons earlier (Bone's perspective)**

Fear flashed through him, making every hair on the BloodClan warrior's pelt prickle and puff out. This was not a feeling Scourge's deputy usually experienced.

_What is Scourge thinking, letting a badger into our camp?_

The huge, black and white striped beast was intimidating, more ferocious then any Bone had seen before. He had fought badgers and won many times in his service to Scourge, but something about this particular beast made him skitter anxiously across the den floor.

"You summoned me, Scourge?" the black and white tom's voice was grudging and edged with fear that had nothing to do with the monster overshadowing his small master. The day that Scourge would call him in here to do away with his all-too-replaceable deputy could be nigh at hand. Bone shivered as images of the last deputy, Streak, came to mind; a slashed body, claws and teeth torn from him, brown tabby fur torn and peeling from the muscle..._some of those scars were from me..._

Did Scourge mean to replace him with this _badger?_

The small black tom looked over his deputy unfeelingly. "I see you have noticed my friend here; this is Darkest Night."

The BloodClan deputy looked over the badger grudgingly. It had a name? It was Scourge's _friend?_ His master had no friends. Even Tigerstar was nothing more to the arctic-eyed tom then a tool.

Bone dipped his head slightly to the badger, curling his lip in disgust. "Hello, Darkest Night."

The beast grunted in response. Scourge stood nonchalantly. "Darkest Night has a favor that I find won't interfere with out fight at all, but rather help with our mission. I will let him explain." With this final word, the small leader padded past his deputy, reinforced claws clicking against the hard-packed floor.

Bone stared after Scourge in astonishment. "But he's a stupid badger! How can he _explain_ anything to me?"

A snarl ripped from Darkest Night's throat, and Bone shrank against the den wall.

"You will find, insolent cat,that this 'stupid badger' has a quite remarkable gift for explaining things...and getting what he wants," the gravelly voice, to Bone's surprise and fear, issued from the badger's parted muzzle. The language was crude and slow, but definitely understandable.

The big cat cowered against the den's bramble wall, as far away from the badger as he could be. Darkest Night gazed upon him with scorn. "I understand that your clan is battling against the cats of the four clans soon, and there is a certain cat I want dead..."

* * *

Bone leaped into battle, clawing any and every cat that got in his way. He exulted every time his reinforced claws ripped through a cat's flesh, growing into a frenzy as blood began to wash his paws scarlet.

Something suddenly slammed into him, surprising him with the strength of it's force. Twisting his head around, he saw a pure white warrior, muscular and snarling at him.

A twisted smile lit upon the black and white tom's face. Y_es!_

He had found the cat Darkest Night had told him about. The cat that had, somehow, wronged him, and needed to die. _No problem with that..._

The battle did not last long. The white warrior was strong and skilled, yes, but he was not match for even the most inexperienced BloodClan warrior.

With a yowl of victory, Bone dealt the killing blow. He watched in satisfaction as the tom's sand-colored eyes widened and he choked, scarlet splashing from his mouth in a sickening gurgle.

Just as Bone relaxed to watch the slow, painful death of his prey, he was assaulted by small, furry bodies. A group of five or six apprentices, younger then their mentors but certainly more ferocious and thirsty for revenge. They swarmed him, and try as he might, Bone couldn't get in more then two swipes at the young cats.

He screeched in pain as one of his attackers bit into his throat, tearing it from him in cannibalistic fury. His sight darkened, claws lay limp, and his muscles relaxed.

_So this is what death feels like,_ he mused idly as the pain, as well as all of his other senses, dimmed. The sounds of fighting cats ebbed away from his ears, but one pleasuring thought occupied his mind.

_Scourge gave me one last command, and I followed through. He told me to do what Darkest Night requested, and that white warrior will surely die...my mission to Scourge is complete._

* * *

**Moons later(Sootfur's perspective)**

Huge, black and white creatures poured into the camp from every side. Everywhere the gray tom turned, more muscular monsters raced at him. The young warrior screeched as a badger's sharp, stinging claws sliced into his side. Turning, his eyes widened. A huge badger, far wider and taller then the rest, glared at him with malicious eyes. It paced towards him, evil beady eyes fixated on it's prey; Sootfur.

Glancing around in fear, he saw bramble bushes enclosing him. This badger had backed him into a corner; there was no escape from the familiar black eyes.

_Familiar?_

Sootfur realized now why the monster's eyes struck such a deep chord of fear and panic inside of him. A badger, long ago, had aimed for him. His mother had flung herself between the creature and her son in a desperate fury and desperation that only queens could posses, and the monster had crashed onto his sweet mother, killing her instantly.

It was the same one. The same badger.

Fury built up inside the innocent young tom's heart, more hate then he had ever felt for another creature blinding Sootfur. He had never felt such a strong, wild, evil emotion before, and the strength of it nearly knocked him off his paws.

"_You killed her!"_ He screeched, claws unsheathing. His pale green eyes were hostile and burning, malicious. His paws trembled beneath him as the monster sneered at him.

He bunched his legs beneath him, hate clouding his judgment. With an almighty leap, he pounced, claws aiming for the badger's snout.

Sootfur didn't get farther then a tail-length. The badger struck out it's massive paws, and the pale tom fell limply to the ground as it struck him in the chest. As he fought to breathe, the world dimmed, and he screeched and curled in pain as the badger's claws split his belly open.

_I'm sorry, Willowpelt. I've failed you..._


	2. Tied

"Rainwhisker?"

The dark gray tom curled out his sore legs in a stretch, roused awake as a soft nose brushed his flank. His blue eyes blinked open, meeting the harsh colors and shapes of stony mountains. His dream of lush green-leaf trees and swaying bracken had been only that; a dream.

Rolling over onto his back, he spotted the cat who had awoken him.

"Did you _have _to wake me, Swallowtail? I was just about to catch that squirrel..." He meowed sleepily.

Swallowtail's green eyes sparked with a ghost of sarcastic humor. "Oh, I'm _so_ sorry. I wouldn't have gotten your lazy pelt up if I had known I would get a share of dream squirrel when I woke up."

Rainwhisker's whiskers twitched up into a smile. _It's a good thing I have Swallowtail around,_ he thought gratefully. _No one else in this dreary group has a laugh left in them since..._

The ThunderClan warrior gulped at the sudden thought. _Since Smokepaw's death. _The apprentice had been of a different clan, and Rainwhisker had only spoken to him a couple of times, but the fall of the gray apprentice had affected all of the cats in this group, almost as if...

_As if we were all one clan, not four._

"Come on, mousebrain," Swallowtail flicked her dark brown tail over Rainwhisker's ear. "We're going out with a group of prey-hunters to feed the clan." The she-cat turned and trotted to the cave entrance, where a group of Clan cats and Tribe cats were gathered together, the clan cats looking as desolate and hopeless as ever.

Swallowtail's slip did not escape Rainwhisker's notice; she had used _Clan _instead of _Clans_ when addressing him.

_It really is like we're one Clan, not four,_ Rainwhisker mused. _But that must change when we reach our new home, right? StarClan meant for there to be four clans in the forest. But..._

But, Rainwhisker had to admit to himself as he followed Swallowtail's sleek pelt across the cave floor, he rather wished there was only one clan. A clan that Swallowtail and he were both members of.

The gray warrior shook his head, ears flapping. It was easy to lapse into those kinds of daydream thoughts with the clans traveling in such close proximity to each other. _The sooner we reach our new home, the better._

The hunting patrol left the cave entrance, padding past the pounding waterfall. Rainwhisker shivered as his thick pelt was misted with droplets of water. The Tribe cats and Swallowtail didn't seem bothered by the dew.

The ThunderClan tom shivered as the group ran through the hard, steep paths, the cold mountain wind piercing his damp pelt. His sore paws began stinging again as sharp pebbles littering the paths tore at his pads.

Suddenly, The group came to a halt. Rainwhisker saw the mountain cats looking up patiently, and he followed their gaze to the cold gray sky.

The fur on his spine tingled as the black shadow of a hawk's wings cast over him, blocking out the sun momentarily. These Tribe cats might take this as a natural sight, but to him it felt like an omen. Stories of kits and apprentices getting carried off by hawks were all too common in the forest.

His nose pricked as the scent of rabbit suddenly reached him from ahead. Craning his neck above the other cats, he spotted the prey; a skinny gray hare trying to find shelter in a rocky crevice.

_Why don't they get it?_ The blue-eyed tom wondered crossly. Sure, the rabbit looked stringy and skinny, but it was still prey, and any morsel would help the clan in these times of trouble.

_Maybe they can't see it. It is nearly the same shade as the mountain._

With this thought in his mind, Rainwhisker quickly dropped into his hunter's crouch and slithered forward, close to the stone. His dark gray fur blended in perfectly; he had no need for the tribe's mud.

He was so focused on his prey that he didn't notice the warning stares the tribe prey-hunters sent him. When he was a tail-length away he pounced, catching the hare completely off guard and swiftly killing it. Nearly bursting with pride for spotting the catch the others didn't, he turned, and was abruptly facing five murderous looks from his Clanmates and the tribe cats.

Rainwhisker cringed as the sharp screech of a hawk sounded above his head, and he looked up to see the hawk banking and turning mid-air, flapping away from the group of cats.

"You complete, utter, piece of _Eagle droppings!_ What in the Tribe of Endless Hunting's name do you think you're doing?"

Rainwhisker jumped as the mud-smeared tribe cat hissed at him, her amber eyes ablaze. The rabbit fell from his mouth in shock.

"What?" He answered, defensive. "I caught that rabbit, didn't I? What did _you_ do, you blind bunch of cave dwellers?"

The prey-hunters bristled. "We could have caught that hawk, too, if you hadn't felt the need to show off! You hunted with us two days ago! Did you forget our hunting techniques that quickly?" a lithe tribe tom hissed scornfully. Rainwhisker flinched as he remembered watching the tribe cats a couple days ago, leaping at an eagle that had been about to fly off with a vole, and catching both pieces of prey. The interesting technique had slipped completely from his mind with the weariness of the journey.

"Oh..." he mumbled, ears hot with shame. "Sorry."

The feisty tribe she-cat snorted, pushing past him. "Come on. Let's go see what other catch we can find." Turning on Rainwhisker, she sneered, "Go on back to the cave with that rabbit. I'm sure _one_ cat will appreciate that mangy thing."

Swallowtail sent Rainwhisker a sympathetic glance as she turned to follow the rest of the hunting party. The gray tom sighed and picked up his fresh-kill, trudging back to the cave with his tail dragging behind him.

Entering behind the waterfall, Rainwhisker went straight to a group of queens with his catch. Dawnflower, a pale gray queen, lifted her head at the prey scent.

Rainwhisker sat the rabbit down beside the RiverClan queen. "I caught this for the queens. You need it more then the rest of us."

The she-cat didn't argue; she was a practical cat, and put the needs of her kits above all else. "Thank you, Rainwhisker. We appreciate it." The other queens began to stir; they all slept huddled around each other, so that they could keep their kits penned inside the fence of their bodies.

Rainwhisker dipped his head, hesitating before he turned around. Dawnflower's pale gray fur and practicality, her warm milky scent, reminded him so much of his own mother. _Willowpelt._

The sting of her loss was still a thorn in his side, after all these moons. She had been the most kind, accepting cat he had ever known, and her loss was like the loss of part of himself. She had died protecting Rainwhisker's brother, Sootfur; died at the paws of a blood-thirsty badger.

Rainwhisker shivered and turned away, the memory of his mother's snapped and broken body and the tortured, horrified look on Sootfur's face the day he dragged her into camp resurfacing in his mind. _That day will haunt me forever..._

He padded over to a group of young cats, a group of cats whom he and his brother had somehow started hanging around more then the rest. It was easy to relate to these young warriors, even though they were from different clans.

_If there _are_ separate clans, now._

A light brown she-cat lifted her head at his approach, her blue eyes dull and sleepy. "Hey, Rainwhisker. How did hunting go?"

He flopped down across from her, breathing out heavily. "Lousy," he meowed, his ears burning with shame again. "I forgot to wait for the hawk to catch the rabbit first, and scared it off. Those prey-hunters sent me back."

Robinwing, the brown she-cat, nodded sympathetically, though her eyes were hard. Rainwhisker had cost the Clan prey with his misstep, and some cats would go hungry now because of it.

A snort came from the other side of Robinwing, and Rainwhisker's ear twitched crossly. _What now, Nightcloud?_

The proud, skinny black she-cat sat up, her amber eyes narrowed scornfully at the dark gray tom. "Thanks, Rainwhisker. Now whatever prey I get _tomorrow_ will taste extra special."

Rainwhisker was about to retort, but at that moment Nightcloud's stomach moaned loudly. The ThunderClan warrior pinned his ears against his head, ashamed. He knew Nightcloud was suffering, even if she tried to hide it with these snide little comments.

He lay his head on his paws, curling into his brother, Sootfur, as the cold stone seeped through his fur into his skin. Breathing in deeply the scents of Amberfoot and Sleekfur, two young warriors from ShadowClan and WindClan, he noticed worriedly that he could barely discern their scents. _We've been together too long;_ he thought wearily.

Suddenly, another thought came to his mind, much more troubling then the first.

_Someday, we'll have to separate into our individual clans. Will I be able to give up my friends that easily?_

_Will I be able to give up Swallowtail?_

* * *

Rainwhisker stretched, looking up at the black and white WindClan leader. His tail, held erect and proud, didn't keep him from looking frail and sickly in the light ghosting through the roaring waterfall into the cave. Crowpaw, a sleek, dark gray apprentice with sad blue eyes sat below him, looking strangely listless for a tom about to have his warrior ceremony. _What happened to him, that he can seem even more depressed then the rest of the cats here?_

He soon found out. The ceremony was a strange one; the young tom's bitter voice echoed thruogh the cavern as he _requested_ his warrior name.Crowfeather, in honor of the cat that had been lost along the journey. Rainwhisker had met Feathertail once, long ago. She was pretty, sure, but Rainwhisker sensed a certain vagueness about her that made him move on to other she-cats quickly.

_Swallowtail,_ he thought warmly of his RiverClan friend,_ now there's a she-cat with a good head on her shoulders!_

Rainwhisker was pulled out of his reverie as cats started chanting, as if they were all one clan. He lifted his voice as well; after all, this cat had gone on a journey to save his life.

"Crowfeather, Crowfeather!"

The gray-black tom stood and padded outside to sit beside the waterfall, keeping vigil here at their mountain home. He had a sort of aura of power about him; his shoulders, thin as any other WindClan cat's, were straight and muscualar, his long tail curled up bhind him elegantly, and his blue eyes glowed like wide orbs as he stared at something above him. Rainwhisker shivered and turned away, his eye catching upon Leafpaw, ThunderClan's medicine cat apprentice.

The slim tabby she-cat stood facing the entrance, watching Crowfeather with a peculiar expression on her face; almost as if she could hear something no other cat could.

_What's wrong with all the cats here? Are we going insane? Am_ I_ going insane?_

"Rainwhisker!"

The gray tom turned at the sound of his name, seeing Mistyfoot, the RiverClan deputy, summoning him from across the cavern. He trotted over to the blue-gray she-cat, pelt prickling as he realized that they were, somehow, distantly related. _Bluestar's daughter looks just like her. _Rainwhisker had only met his great-aunt once, but the memory of the stout, elegant leader was one that would stick with him for as long as he lived.

"Yes, Mistyfoot?" he meowed politely. _I owe her nothing because of our family. All I owe any cat is loyalty to my clan._

The RiverClan deputy stopped, meowed briefly, "You are going on a hunting patrol tomorrow morning. Get a good night's rest," then padded away, joining a group of older warriors, including Sandstorm, Cedarheart, and Mousefur.

Rainwhisker stared after her, whiskers twitching in uncertainty, before turning and padding over to his group of friends. Curling up next to his sister, Sorreltail, he fell fast into a fitful sleep.


	3. Arrived

_What a strange sight we are,_ Rainwhisker mused to himself. The Clans, thin and bedraggled, were all scattered across a wide hill, jaws hanging open and surprised meows flashing through the cats as they gazed upon the star-filled lake below, their eyes occasionally flickering to Leafpaw, the slim tabby apprentice, who had just declared that they had reached their new home.

Rainwhisker gazed out from the crest of the hill he perched upon, blue eyes reflecting the pricks of stars above and in the lake below. Weak, half-starved cats milled around him, gasps of doubt and muffled purrs of prayer directed at Silverpelt fluxing in and out of his ears. The relief in the air was almost tangible. Their journey was over-hopefully- at last.

"It's beautiful..." mewed a voice beside him. Turning, he saw Swallowtail's dull dark brown pelt shifting under the harsh star light. The RiverClan cats had held on to the luster of their pelts longer then any other clan because of their diet of fish and water voles, but even they couldn't remain vibrant under the stress of travel and starvation. His companion's jade-green eyes were filled with exhaustion, a hint of doubt, and a fierce hope. She was done traveling; she wanted to have a _home_ again, just like every other cat.

The blue-gray tom stretched out his tail and stroked her back, almost without thinking. Rainwhisker caught himself, pulled his tail away again, and wrapped it firmly over his paws. _Soon we will separate into four Clans. I cannot be treating this she-cat as if she is from ThunderClan._ The warrior hurt himself just to speak the words in his mind. Was the time for departure so soon?

Ignoring the awkward moment, Swallowtail meowed evenly, ears pricking up, "Listen. Looks like the leaders are sending a scout out to figure out what's down there." She flicked her tail towards the shadows where the hill sloped downwards, edging the star-reflected lake.

Rainwhisker sat up straight, wondering if he might be chosen. _It would be an honor to be the first to search out our new territory._

The blue-gray warrior wilted as Mistyfoot and Russetfur were sent, sprinting away from the cats and down the slope to the territory below. Firestar looked around, let out a yowl, and started heading down the slope slowly after the two she-cats. The rest of the clans followed slowly, helping the weak and elderly.

"It's okay, Rainwhisker," meowed Sootfur, coming up beside him. "They're only going in a straight line to the lake and back. I bet the leaders will want a patrol to scout _around_ the lake and back. Maybe we'll be chosen for that."

He meowed in agreement, but Swallowtail just shook her head. "Doubtful. They'll probably just send their deputies; but, then again, ThunderClan doesn't really _have_ a deputy."

Rainwhisker flinched at the harsh words, turning to stare at his RiverClan companion. Her green eyes were critical and wondering, as if she doubted Firestar's intellect.

"Actually, Swallowtail," Sootfur meowed firmly, "we _do_ have a deputy. His name is Graystripe. And, like a loyal friend, Firestar is waiting for his return."

The RiverClan warrior shrugged, unaffected. "There is a near impossible chance of his return. Firestar should accept that his friend is dead and name Brambleclaw the deputy already; that pushy tomcat already acts like the deputy, even _I_ can see that."

Swallowtail was surprised by the two muffled hisses that came from the ThunderClan brothers, not directed at her, but at a tabby tom plodding along slowly behind the group of cats with Tawnypelt, Squirrelflight, and Crowfeather- the cats who had made the journey to sun-drown place together and formed close friendships.

"Never," Rainwhisker hissed softly, "Will I accept _Brambleclaw_ as my deputy." Rainwhisker's tail tip quivered as he said it. The very idea of having this young, arrogant, pushy tom in charge of him...plus, a cat had to think of his bad blood. He may have lead ThunderClan to their new home, but he still carried the shadow of Tigerclaw with him.

Swallowtail, apparently not wanting to increase their quarrel, made no further inquiry, but rather padded off to join a group of young RiverClan and ShadowClan warriors in the descent down the hillside. Rainwhisker's tail drooped. _Have I lost her already?

* * *

_Rainwhisker blinked his eyes open, the criss-crossing branches of a nearly leafless heather bush the first thing his sight touched upon. He stretched, feeling the warm pelts of his littermates, and breathed in deeply the smells of Sootfur and Sorreltail. The three siblings had crawled into this makeshift nest last night after reaching a temporary camp, eager to get a good night's rest before the next day's adventures.

The other two stirred with him as a familiar yowl split the air; Firestar, calling the clans together for a meeting. Rainwhisker nearly forgot their predicament for a moment, thinking he was safely back in ThunderClan's camp, before he remembered last night's events; reaching the lake, their new home. The three young warriors stood and squeezed out of the heather bush one by one, joining the rest of the clan cats in the clearing. Firestar, Blackstar, and Mudclaw were balancing precariously on a tree stump, Leopardstar sitting at the roots. Rainwhisker's ear twitched as if an annoying fly were bothering him; the RiverClan leader, who used to be always so feisty and hot-tempered, seemed especially docile since their journey to the lake.

Firestar raised his ginger muzzle and called out, "Cats of All Clans! Today there are decisions to be made and tasks to be carried out-"

He was cut off as Mudclaw moved forward then, shoving Firestar back a step. "Hunting patrols will go out right away. WindClan will take the hills and RiverClan can fish in the lake. ThunderClan-"

There was a commotion as Onewhisker, Mudclaw's clanmate, protested the dark warrior's assumed power. In the argument that ensued between Firestar, Mudclaw, and Onewhisker, several cats flattened their ears or lashed their tails uncomfortably. For once, Rainwhisker was grateful to Blackstar for interrupting.

"If WindClan has a problem over their leadership," the black-pawed tom meowed coldly, "let them discuss it in private. We're wasting time."

A brief, tense moment passed, where Rainwhisker clearly heard Blackclaw of RiverClan whisper mockingly to Webfoot, "Your Clan seems to have picked up a few burrs in it's pelt along the journey," flicking his tail towards Onewhisker and Mudclaw. Then, the leaders continued their meeting.

"I would like to start ThunderClan's life here by honoring a new warrior. Squirrelpaw, where are you?" Firestar announced, peering around the throng of cats.

Rainwhisker rolled his eyes as Squirrelflight squeaked shrilly in surprise. Sorreltail saw him and mrrowed softly in amusement, nudging him in the shoulder. "Like you reacted any different during _your_ warrior ceremony."

His whiskers twitched in reply. "I like to think I compose myself with dignified silence."

Sorreltail scoffed, batting his ear with her tortoiseshell forepaw. The siblings fell silent as Mousefur sent them a glare.

"This is the first time any cat has spoken these words in our new home," the flame-colored tom called out. "I Firestar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice..."

The gray-blue tom straightened and saw several other cats do the same, every pair of eyes intense. This ceremony, performed beside their new lake home, would truly make this place belong to them.

Firestar granted Squirrelpaw her warrior name, and a call was taken up, spreading through every cat from each clan like wild fire, much the same as Crowfeather's cave warrior ceremony had commenced. The cats that had made the journey would always be especially revered by almost every cat.

"Squirrelflight! Squirrelflight!" Rainwhisker lifted his muzzle, joining his yowl to the thrumming chant celebration, losing himself in customs as old as the clans themselves. The chanting eventually died away, and Blackstar stepped forward on the tree stump once again, announcing the patrol Sootfur had suspected. "...a patrol with one cat from each Clan to explore the lakeshore and the land around it."

Firestar stepped forward again, and Blackstar hissed slightly as the ginger tom took over again. "We decided to send three of the cats who made the first journey together. Brambleclaw from ThunderClan, Crowfeather from WindClan, and Tawnypelt from ShadowClan." The cats spoken of were sitting around Squirrelflight, ears pricked and eyes gleaming with anticipation. Rainwhisker felt his muzzle curl distastefully and glanced at Mudclaw and Blackstar; neither tom looked happy with the decision.

Leopardstar spoke up at last, meowing, "Mistyfoot will go for RiverClan."

Rainwhisker glared down at his paws, biting back a hiss of frustration. He was more experienced than any of the cats left from the journey to the sun-drown-place; had he not proved his loyalty and worth to Firestar? Why would he grace the son of Tigerstar with this offer, and not him, the son of Whitestorm?

The ThunderClan warrior heard as Nightcloud hissed softly to Swallowtail, "What? But even _I'm_ more experienced than Crowfeather! Ashfoot or Tornear would have been a better choice..."

Just as Rainwhisker thought things were bad enough as it were, he heard ThunderClan's newest warrior meow indignantly, "But what about _me?_ I went on the journey too. Why can't I go on the patrol?"

Rainwhisker rolled his eyes, sure the leaders would deny her silly request, but after a brief discussion, Firestar meowed, "Squirrelflight, you may go on the patrol."

Rainwhisker's claws sank into the ground, and he saw the same reaction from a few other ThunderClan warriors. Firestar gave them instructions, and then sent them off. There were a few titters of amusement as Brambleclaw raised his tail, expecting to lead the patrol, and lowered it again, embarrassed, as Mistyfoot took the lead and lead the small patrol away from the other cats. Rainwhisker's pelt prickled uneasily as he heard Mousefur meow, "As ambitious and eager to lead as his father..."

With the patrol gone, Blackstar stepped forward again before Firestar could open his mouth, and began divvying cats up for patrols, his amber gaze raking the clearing for cats who looked fit enough to hunt. "Sandstorm, Cloudtail, Spiderpaw, Oakfur, and Smokepaw- take the trees behind the horse-place."

"Haven't even separated, and already he's trying to set spies on us to steal ThunderClan hunting techniques..." Thornclaw muttered from behind Rainwhisker."

"Some of my warriors- Cedarheart, Russetfur, Rowanclaw, and Talonpaw- can take the boggy area close to the lake. Ashfoot, Onewhisker, Webfo-"

"If it's all the same, Blackstar," Onewhisker interrupted coolly, raising his muzzle from Tallstar's side, "I'd rather stay here and tend to my leader with Barkface."

Blackfoot glanced at Mudclaw, who nodded once, then began again. "Then, Webfoot, Nightcloud, and Tornear can go with Ashfoot to the hills to chase rabbits." he let contempt sink into the last part of the sentence. Rainwhisker shifted uncomfortably as a few hisses sounded through the clearing.

"Leopardstar, if you could bring your best fishers to the lake shore..." Blackstar continued.

The spotted she-cat nodded and stood. "Blackclaw, Swallowtail, Hawkfrost..." she flicked her tail and sprinted away from the group of cats, towards the gleaming lake below. Rainwhisker flicked his tail across Swallowtail's flank as she brushed past him, and her cool green eyes softened as he twitched his whiskers at her, proud that she had been chosen as one of the best fishers.

Firestar stepped forward again, nearly at the edge of the stump now, determined to take back the attention of the cats. "Thornclaw, Sootfur, Ashfur, Brightheart, head to the woods we just came from. Brackenfur, Rainwhisker, Sorreltail, and Whitepaw, take a different patrol to the deeper part of the woods."

Rainwhisker bounded over to Brackenfur, determined to catch as much prey as possible when he noticed the ginger tom's ribs visible beneath his thin coat. His apprentice was in no better condition, her usually pretty fur bedraggled and brown with dirt, and his own sister's coat had lost all of it's sheen. He saw a similar expression on Brackenfur's face as he noticed Sorreltail, and the group raced away the way they came, to a thin covering of trees grouped among the barren moorland. Brackenfur signaled them to stop when he reached the edge and glanced around the patrol. "We should split up. There's not as much undergrowth as in the old forest, and prey will notice if we all go tramping in together."

Sorreltail reached out a paw and poked a thistle bush, meowing, "Oh, I don't know Brackenfur- I'd say there's more undergrowth here than what's left in the old forest by now." Her amber eyes twinkled with amusement.

Brackenfur's nose twitched as he held back laughter. "Still. We'll meet up here again by sun-high."

The warriors separated and sprinted off into the trees, the bracken underpaw barely rustling as the expert hunters took to their native terrain with glee. Rainwhisker slithered through the undergrowth, arching his back and purring softly as dry fronds and brittle leaves brushed against him. Every sense of the forest made him feel more comfortable- like he was _home,_ at last.

Pricking his ears, he let the sounds of the forest overwhelm him. Wind whistling around weathered tree trunks, leaves brushing against each other, a lonely jay high above twittering. And then- the quiet thrum of a heartbeat, a twitching of a thistle leaf, and the soft _snuff snuffing_ of a vole. _There!_

The blue-gray warrior quickly pinpointed the location of the unaware prey and stalked forward, making no noise on his paws. He crouched and sprang outward with his hindlegs, dispatching the vole swiftly and silently. He dug a shallow hole and covered the fresh-kill up, and continued on his hunt.

Rainwhisker crept forward, using the hunter's crouch as he placed his paws carefully through the ferns. His object was only a tail length ahead; a plump, tawny mouse. He crouched back on his hind paws, then sprang, catching the mouse before it knew it was being hunted.

The ThunderClan warrior held his prey in his jaws proudly and turned to collect the rest of his kill and meet the patrol, when he was stopped in his tracks by a blue stare as cold as chips of ice. The cat belonging to the eyes stepped out of the shade of the trees, revealing the contours in his broad, tabby shoulders, and as Rainwhisker glanced down, he saw gleaming curved claws. Rainwhisker got that idea that this cat, Hawkfrost, kept them unsheathed all the time only to show them off.

"That was an interesting and effective way of catching a mouse," Hawkfrost meowed slowly. His whiskers twitched as he beheld the stirring of fear in Rainwhisker's sky blue eyes. "I was wondering if you could teach me."

Looking the RiverClan cat up and down, Rainwhisker's muzzle shaped itself into a scowl. "No."

Hawkfrost twitched his tail in surprise. "What?"

"I said, _no._ I'm not in the habit of teaching ThunderClan tricks to the other clans. And I wouldn't share _any_ of my knowledge with _you,_ anyways. By the way, aren't you supposed to be fishing with Leopardstar?"

The tabby warrior's eyes narrowed, and he ignored Rainwhisker's question. "Why? Because Tigerstar was my father?" his voice was thick with smugness.

"Yes, that's exactly why," Rainwhisker retorted. From The look of surprise that came, once again, to Hawkfrost's eyes, he guessed the tabby warrior hadn't been expecting him to come out and say it.

But the son of Tigerstar quickly got over his surprise and rearranged his face into a mocking sneer. "Oh my, I'm shocked. Aren't ThunderClanners all about forgetting a cat's past, and letting them prove themselves?"

Rainwhisker's eyes hardened. "_Firestar_ is all about forgetting a cat's past. Do you see the rest of us cuddling up to Brambleclaw?"

His companion smirked. "I see one of you cuddling up to Brambleclaw. That little ginger scrap of fur."

"Squirrelflight...she has kittypet roots, and she's the daughter of Firestar. I suppose she doesn't care what Brambleclaw's past is, when her own is corrupted as well. But _I _care. Because of Tigerstar, my father died." the blue-gray tom's voice began to break at the end of his sentence, remembering the strong, white warrior.

"Oh, you poor kitty," Hawkfrost rolled his eyes. "And so you don't trust my brother and I because Tigerstar killed your father."

"Or your sisters," Rainwhisker interjected. He'd had enough of speaking to this RiverClan tom. Even being in his vicinity gave him chills. As the ThunderClan warrior pushed past him, Hawkfrost spoke up once more.

"Tell Firestar's little kitten to stay away from my brother. I don't think our _father_ would be too happy if he knew about that."

Rainwhisker flicked his tail and pushed out of the small clearing, padding swiftly through the trees and to the Clan cats. He would do no such thing; let the bad-blooded cats in the clan mate with each other. That would leave more pure-cats available to make pure-clan kittens.

He pushed through the last trees and raced across the moor until he emerged into the exposed clearing where the rest of the cats were gathered, and just in time. Onewhisker and Mudclaw were standing face to face, hackles raised and backs arched as they hissed at each other. Firestar sprinted over to the two scrawny WindClan warriors and meowed urgently, trying to ease the tension.

"...can't believe I let you lazy furball sit here and play medicine cat while our clanmates are out hunting for you!" the mottled brown tom yowled, his pale green eyes enraged.

"I can go a day without eating, if that's what you want. What difference does it make, starving here or starving in the forest? We're dieing anyways..." the pale tabby tom glanced sadly at his leader, a heap of black and white fur on the grass at his paws.

"Mudclaw, every clan will share prey with you if WindClan has a need, you know this. And Onewhisker, no cat is dieing today- I promise you that."

Firestar left the two WindClan toms momentarily abated, and spotted Rainwhisker across the clearing. Frowning, he padded swiftly over to the tom, meowing, "Rainwhisker? Is everything okay? What happened to the rest of your patrol?"

Gasping, Rainwhisker realized he hadn't collected the rest of his prey and met Brackenfur at sun-high where he had told them to. His thoughts had been so full of his confrontation with Hawkfrost on the way back, frustrated with Tigerstar's lineage, that the rest of his patrol had completely blown his mind.

Dropping his mouse, he meowed quickly, "I'm sorry Firestar, I- I caught too much prey, so I thought, before I went and collected the rest, I'd better drop this off now." the warrior felt a sinking in his stomach at the lie. But how could he tell Firestar the truth? The ginger leader would never understand his resentment towards Hawkfrost and Brambleclaw.

Firestar's ears twitched dubiously. "And does Brackenfur know of this plan?"  
"Erm..." Rainwhisker's forepaw scuffed against the ground, and Firestar's green eyes narrowed.

"I suggest you hurry back, before he misses you too much. We don't have energy to waste searching for irresponsible warriors."

His ears burning with shame, Rainwhisker raced back to the woods. He saw the patrol on the outer border, alert and gazing through the trees. His ears pricked as he noticed tension in Sorreltail's spine, her tail quivering in fear. Brackenfur turned at the sound of his approach and gazed in confusion, wondering why Rainwhisker was coming from the hills and not through the woods to meet them.

"Rainwhisker!" Sorreltail gasped in relief and rushed to her brother, covering his ears in licks. "Thank StarClan you're fine! I thought for sure, when you didn't show up, that the badger had got you-"

"Badger?" Rainwhisker's pelt prickled, and he looked around uneasily.

"Yes, a huge badger! I was hunting a chaffinch, when suddenly the monster just came out of no where and lunged at me. I nearly didn't escape, but Brackenfur heard my yowl and distracted it long enough for us to run..."

Brackenfur nodded, looking Rainwhisker up and down. "We met Whitepaw right when we left the woods, but we were worried when you didn't show up. I'm glad you weren't in the forest, but I'm curious about why you came from the direction of the hillside..."

Hating himself for doing it, but not willing to risk getting caught by Firestar, the gray warrior used his excuse again. "I caught so much prey, I decided to make two trips back, and I was just coming back to collect the rest and meet you."

Brackenfur looked even more irritated now. "I barely caught anything, and I dropped most of it when distracting the badger. You could have brought it here so _we_ could help you carry it back. There's no way I'm letting you go back in that forest to retrieve the rest with that badger in there. Now we'll have to find a new place to hunt, and all of that fresh-kill is wasted..."

Rainwhisker sighed and followed Brackenfur as he led the patrol to another part of the woods. A part of him- a very _tiny _part- felt relieved that he wouldn't have to back his story up with a lot of prey, when he really hadn't had so good a catch that he couldn't have carried it all back to the hillside in one trip. But mostly he felt guilty that some cats would go hungry tonight because of his mistake, and that he had killed prey for no reason. The cats of the Clans had learned to thank StarClan for the sacred life of their prey, which they killed only to survive.

The patrol found another place in the copse of woods to hunt, and Rainwhisker quickly caught more prey than he had in a week back in the old forest. Satisfied with his kill, he gathered the fresh-kill and met Whitepaw, Brackenfur, and Sorreltail back at the edge of the wood, where they swiftly carried the food to their awaiting clanmates.

He ignored Firestar's gaze as the patrol trooped into camp, dropping their prey amongst other small, furry bodies in a fresh-kill pile in the midst of the clearing. He turned to speak to his sister, but Sorreltail had already padded away towards a patch of clover with Brackenfur to rest. Twisting his head around, he spotted Sootfur leaving with Sandstorm and Cloudtail on a hunting patrol. Sighing in frustration, he picked a thrush from the pile and stalked over to a sheltering nettle patch, curling up in the shade and tearing into his fresh-kill. Thoughts of his thoughtless mistakes earlier crowded into his mind. _How could I be so mouse-brained? If the other clans hear about this..._

"Hello, Rainwhisker," the scent of Robinwing, diluted by the scents of the rest of the cats traveling with them, pricked his nose. He lifted his head and dipped it in greeting to the brown tabby she-cat.

"Hello, Robinwing. Have you been hunting today?" He vaguely scented blackbird on the she-cat.

She nodded, settling down next to him on her stomach, paws tucked under her skinny frame delicately. "Yes- and what a joy it was! To finally hunt on land with prey! I caught two frogs and three birds!"

Rainwhisker stared for a moment then shook himself, licking a paw clean of thrush blood. "I will never understand ShadowClan."

Robinwing mrrowed and poked him in the flank with her paw. "And so you shouldn't. We'll be separating in a few sunrises, I bet. Blackstar's been itching to get us away from the other clans since we set paw on this journey; and I can't say I blame him. Too many ShadowClan secrets have been revealed already."

Rainwhisker tried not to snort at this; typical of a ShadowClan cat to be the first to think of others stealing their Clan secrets.

Before he could reply, a much more familiar scent greeted his nose. Both young warriors turned their heads to greet Swallowtail at the same time.

"Hello Robinwing, Rainwhisker," the dark brown she-cat greeted them, paws damp and smelling strongly of fish. She crouched next to Rainwhisker, swiping her tongue over her muzzle. "Great hunting here, for leaf-bare."

The other two meowed in agreement. "Although, we have to consider danger as well. Sorreltail and Brackenfur ran into a badger on our patrol," Rainwhisker informed.

The she-cats gasped; they were both friends to the two ThunderClan warriors. "Are they all right?" Robinwing asked. Instead of waiting for an answer, she scrambled to her paws and trotted across the clearing to where the two cats in question were laying, sharing tongues.

Rainwhisker flicked an ear uncomfortably when he realized he was alone with Swallowtail for the first time since their arrival at the lake. The air between them was charged with tension; he wondered if she was angry at him.

Swallowtail cleared her throat and meowed slowly, "I'm sorry about my remarks about your deputy, Rainwhisker; I shouldn't involve myself with ThunderClan affairs."

He placed his tail tip to her muzzle to silence her. "Don't worry about it; Sootfur and I overreacted, that's all; Graystripe was-is- a good friend of ours."

"So you think he's still alive?" Swallowtail didn't sound critical or dubious, only interested.

Rainwhisker thought for a moment, than nodded firmly. "I think so. Graystripe won't go down without a fight, even a fight with two-legs."

Swallowtail nodded thoughtfully. "I would have liked to know him. Stormfur and Feathertail were both really fierce and loyal, despite their mixed heritage; I suppose they got that from him."

After a short silence, Rainwhisker meowed to relieve some of the tension building between them, "So...I suppose I should be honored to be in the presence of one of RiverClan's _best _fishers?"

Swallowtail twitched her whiskers proudly, smiling. "I was so surprised when Leopardstar called me! I never knew she thought so highly of me..."

The two continued talking into the night, the Clans content and well-fed for the first time in moons.

**_I know I know, it's been forever! my internet was down for awhile. I think this is the longest chapter I've ever written though, so...here you go! this chapter is dedicated to Feathercloud13 for sticking with me, offering faithful reviews, and consistently reminding me to pick my lazy butt up and start writing! thanks!_**


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